This invention relates generally to a new and improved head-protective helmet and more particularly relates to a new and improved head-protective helmet which may be embodied as a firefighter's helmet, a head-protective helmet for EMS personnel, firemen, policemen, and the like.
By way of example, firefighters' helmets are known to the prior art which include a relatively rigid outer shell, a compressible inner impact cap or inner impact attenuation liner or shell for absorbing or attenuating at least a portion of the force or energy produced upon a falling object striking the helmet and which is mounted to the interior of the outer shell, a cradle or web of head straps which extends into the inner impact cap and which is for engaging the head of a wearer of the helmet, and a head band for being fitted to the head of a wearer of the helmet. Such a firefighter's helmet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,339 entitled FIREMAN'S HELMET WITH ENERGY ABSORBING LINER, patented Sep. 1, 1981, Peter A. Coombs inventor; this patent is incorporated herein by reference as if fully reproduced herein. The firefighter's helmet disclosed in this patent includes an outer shell 10 in which is mounted an inner compressible non-resilient foam liner 20, sometimes referred to in the art as an inner impact cap or shell, a head band 40 attached to the liner by an adjustable system of holes and snap buttons 44, 45 on tab extensions 46, and a cradle of head web straps 32-33 mounted to the inner impact liner or cap 20 by a tube 25. A chin strap 16 is mounted to the outer shell 10 as shown in FIG. 1.
Another firefighter's helmet including in the above-noted firefighter helmet components is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,016 entitled PROTECTIVE HELMET ASSEMBLY INCLUDING RELEASABLE HEAD RETAINING ASSEMBLY, patented Sep. 3, 1991, Christopher E. Coombs inventor; this patent is incorporated herein by reference as if fully reproduced herein. The helmet components of the firefighter's helmet disclosed in this patent are mounted together and function in substantially the same manner as the elements of the firefighter's helmet disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,339 patent, except that additionally a plurality of retaining clip members 70 are mounted to the brim of the outer shell 12 and engage the rim 42 of the foam liner or inner impact cap or shell 38 to mount and maintain the inner impact cap within the outer shell below a predetermined load exerted on the inner impact cap or shell by the head straps engaging the user's head due to a blow or load being applied to the outer shell. The helmet disclosed in this patent includes an adjustable head band 32 lined with a sweat band 34; the head band 32 is attached to the foam liner or impact cap 38 by an adjustable system of holes 36 and snap buttons 38. The head-protective helmet disclosed in this patent further differs from the head-protective helmet disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,339 patent in that the chin strap (note the chin strap assembly indicated by general numerical designation 22) is mounted not to the outer shell but instead is mounted to the inner impact cap by the tube member 44 inset in the groove 46 formed in the outer surface of the foam liner or inner impact cap 38. Thus, by mounting the chin strap to the inner impact cap or liner 38 instead of the outer shell 12, upon the above-noted predetermined load being exerted on the inner impact cap or shell, such as for example upon the fireman falling through a hole in the floor with the outer brim of the outer shell catching on the edge of the hole, the fireman is not hanged by the chin strap and upon the retaining clip members 70 releasing, the outer shell and inner impact cap are separated and the inner impact cap remains on the fireman's head providing at least some further head protection.
As taught in detail in the above-referenced patents, the inner impact cap or foam liner and the manner of mounting the cradle or web of head straps to the inner impact cap or shell attenuate or absorb impact energy or force which could be transferred to the wearer's head upon, for example, an object striking the outer shell.
This invention also relates to assemblies, or sub-assemblies, for head-protective helmets and which assemblies permit head-protective components such as the inner impact cap or shell, head band and inner liner to be replaced individually or separately upon becoming damaged or broken.
This invention also relates to a mounting member particularly useful for mounting a head band to an inner liner or shell contained in a head-protective helmet.